Welcome to the AC Tropical Fish aquarium forum. Our aquarium forum is the place to discuss any aquarium related issue in a friendly environment. Our aquarium forum welcomes aquarists of all levels from beginners to experts. Please ask a question in the how to section of our forum or read the FAQ section if you have any questions. register to and become a part of our friendly aquarium forum community today.

I've only used a couple types of HOB filters including one made by Petco, Tetra and of course the Hagen Aquaclear model. The petco filter is a joke because it's badly engineered and serves little more than moderate water flow, the tetra HOB filter needs weekly cleaning or it begins rattling but the Hagen model requires virtually no maintenance and runs like a champ.

I'm confident that I'll never use any other brand of HOB filter after trying these Aquaclear models. Kudos to Hagen.

I haven't even had this for a day but it's obvious, this is simply a superior HOB filter. It makes my original Top Fin 10 look pretty silly.

There's a huge filter basket that can accommodate large amounts of filter material. Since it doesn't use cartridges, you can rearrange and customize to what you require. You can use 3rd party materials, even household materials like kitchen sponges and potscrubbers. The starter media includes a foam pad, an activated carbon bag and a Bio-Max bag - Bio-Max consists of porous ceramic cylinders designed to support beneficial bacteria necessary for biological filtration. I'm starting this out not using the activated carbon and got an extra Bio-Max bag, so I'm running (bottom to top) foam/Bio-Max/Bio-Max.

The flow system is ingenious and simple. The impeller draws water up the intake tube and discharges it to the side. A channel on the underside of the filter directs the water flow to the underside of the filter basket where it's pushed up through the filter media and discharged. The flow control is even more ingenious - the intake tube is moved to the side, exposing a portion of the impeller. Above the impeller, there's an upper chamber that is connected to the side of the filter basket. With the impeller exposed, it draws the upper chamber water from the side of the filter, recirculating it. So the same volume of water is cleaned, but a portion of it is cleaned repeatedly as it recirculates. When the intake tube is moved to its full flow position, the impeller is sealed from the upper chamber. Water flows from the side of the filter basket to the upper chamber, but only to the filled level of the filter. Since the impeller is sealed from it in the full flow position, it forms a portion of the water flowing through the filter media and gets discharged.

The unit has fairly high build quality although my lid sits a bit crooked. The entire filter housing is in a smoke translucent plastic which allows you to see the media, you don't have to pull it out to examine it.

It's a little louder than my Top Fin 10, but not enough to really be a concern.

We'll see how it fares once debris builds up in the filter, but I'm guessing it will fare better than vertical cartridge-based filters. On my Top Fin, when the filter gets clogged, water "piles up" behind the filter cartridge, spilling over back into the tank over the intake tube. This can severely restrict flow. Although I know the AquaClear will clog, I can't see how this "bypass" can happen - the water is being pushed from underneath. From what I can see, the load on the impeller will increase. At a certain point, its flow will drop due to the backpressure, but I'd bet it will fare fare better and maintain a higher flow as the filter clogs than a vertical cartridge-based design.

All in all, a simple yet effective design that maximizes the amount of filter media you can use in a HOB filter.

These are quite popular and it seems their price is rising to suit. I did happen to find an amazing deal - the highest price locally was $36.99, I paid $23.99. At that price I feel I should have bought 2 or upgraded to the AC 30, but this will likely last me a very long time.

CWO4GUNNERMember

Registered: April 2009Location: BULLHEAD AZPosts: 71

Review Date: Sun May 31, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 7

Positive aspects of the product (pros):

Highest GPH for a canister filter

Cons:

Filter basket needs redesign

I received 2 of these as part of a craiglist 80 tall tank/stand package deal for $150. This type of HOB technology where water is pumped underneath stacked filter media has been around for a long time and I remember using it in the late 70's and 80's as it was the best in affordability at the time. The only flaw with it is the open top design of the container which does not attach the filter basket to the bottom securely, and the basket itself is also open at the top and dose not securely hold the media down and in place. As a result as soon as the filter starts to get a little dirty like 30%, the slightest resistance to water pressure under the filter basket causes it to dislodge from its poorly designed hold down tabs and start floating to the top. In turn the filter media itself dislodges from its weak snag points and also floats to the top of the basket pushing the lid off the top of the filter which has no latch and water starts to bypass from under all the filter media and basket, the wet media making contact with the drywall causing stains and some water to spill. I have had to design Velcro attachments and the sides of the container to hold the basket down and a top cage for the basket to hold the media down and as a precaution an external strap to hold the cover down. This all forces the water to flow through the filter media without lift bypassing, increasing time between cleaning by 3-4 times. When the water leaving flowing out of the filter slows to a trickle, I know its time to clean the filter. It is potentially a much better filter if they would just design a secure hold down for both the basket and media.

I have 2 of these, one for each of my tanks (10-30) I use them as my main filter and I complement them with lesser brands. So each tank is running 2 filters. i do this because with the AC i can use ammo chips or 2x bio bags or whatever and still have the carbon filtration of the second filter. They are on the high end price scale as far as HOBs go but you definately get what you pay for. I have two mor tanks to setup and as soon as i doo Im running for the AquaClear section of my lfs. Even my fish love it, they swimm in and out of the flow with big smiles. If not for you.... Think Of The Fish!!!

------------------------------

the bobber mirrored the setting sun as it nestled into the distant clouds...

...the rippling wave whispered for my readiness as a fish teased the hook...

Great filter, built very well. I have had one for over ten years and am still running it. Quiet unless your water level is low, then you will hear a 'waterfall' sound. Very easy to clean, you can use almost any media you want or need. The only HOB filter I will ever use.

Pretty much all that can be said has been said about this product. My favorite part of the product is the ability to put in whatever media is better for your tank. If you don't want carbon and more bio media, you can do it without having to cut out the carbon like you have to do with a lot of the other HOBs. It's nice and quiet, even the Aquaclear 50 I have is silent. This is a great filter that is well worth the price.

Wow! I switched to this HOB filter after using an in-tank Whisper filter and the difference in filtration and clearing of the water was incredible!

The adjustable flow slider is a great feature if you are worried about small fish being overwhelmed by the flowrate.

Since I've started keeping kuhliis and have sand, a finer intake would be a nice addition, but what it comes with is standard for most filters. (I used a bit of ladies hose rubberbanded onto the intake)

AMAZING HOB! Better than a lot of the canisters I see, this thing is BEAUTIFUL! If you want to cut the usual HOB costs, this filter uses washable foam inserts instead of constant expense of cartidges. Adjustable flow rate, and easy construction if you can understand the instructions. Best HOB on the market.